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May 2014

How to Choose the Best Sheets Ever for Your Bedroom Linen Collection

American actress Vivien Leigh once said, “I need something truly beautiful to look at in hotel rooms.” Not me – I just need clean bedding. That’s right! Just give me a down-filled pillow and duvet and the best sheets ever, and I’ll sleep like a baby every time.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2008, Americans were taking an average of between 8 and 11 paid holidays per year, in the form of vacation, sick leave, or personal time.

Many spent at least a weekend at a hotel. Can you blame them? Along with amenities like room service, an indoor pool and workout center, and free waffle breakfasts, hotels offer superior bedding.

When my family heads out of town, we always choose the same hotel chain. While the hotel offers many benefits, the deciding factor was the bedding. Housekeeping staff actually leaves a memo on the bed that states “Duvet covers and sheets are clean for your arrival.”

Enjoying Hotel Quality Linens at Home

It is no secret that hotels have some of the best sheets ever. When choosing high-quality sheets for your bedroom linen collection, consider these qualities that are found in bedding belonging to some of the choicest hotels in the country.

COTTON – Cotton sheets are so comfortable. Light and airy, look for an organic fabric that is free from harmful dyes or other chemicals. When you don’t spend all night breathing in VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, then you get a better night’s sleep.

SATEEN – The cotton is woven in a vertical construction to create a lustrous surface that feels like satin. Therefore they feel cooler much like laying your head on the cool side of the pillow at night.

THREAD COUNT – There is a lot of information available about thread count and sheep quality. But according to Consumer Reports some lower thread count sheets were better than the higher thread count models.

MATTRESS SIZE – Know the height of your mattress and allow for things like pillow top, egg crate foam, or other type of padding. Then add a couple of inches to the depth of fitted sheets to allow for shrinkage.

When my husband and I added invested in the best sheets ever and added them to our bed and mattress, which are constructed from organic materials we noticed the difference the very first night.

Caring for Your New, High-Quality Bedding

After a few nights of sleeping on these amazing sheets, it came time to launder them. I was afraid that in the process of washing and drying them that I’d do something to eliminate some of the comfortableness of the sheets, but it couldn’t have been easier.

In fact, washing the best sheets ever that I ordered online is no different than laundering bedding from the linens section of my local department store. Here are the steps:

Remove the sheets from the bed and empty the pillowcases of their pillows.

Set the water temperature to cool, but not cold. If you have no setting between cold and warm, then choose warm.

Only place one set of sheets and pillowcases in the washer at a time. This avoids over-crowding, which could prevent the linens from being cleaned.

Use an ecofriendly laundry soap to retain the organic qualities of your linens.

If you must use bleach, make sure it does not contain chlorine, which could soak into the fabric of your sheets. (Then they won’t be the best sheets ever!)

As soon as the washing cycle finishes, remove the sheets from the washer. Cotton wrinkles easily, and even though they still have to go through the dryer wrinkles can set into wet linens.

Give the damp sheets a good shake and toss them into the dryer. Run them through a cycle of drying on the warm temperature until they feel damp.

Once your sheets feel damp, remove them from the dryer. Then hang them on the clothes line or a clothing rack to finish drying, to avoid wrinkles.

Always fold your sheets in a square, whether you plan to store them or put them back on your bed.

If you prefer the fresh scent of clothes that are dried outdoors, you can completely dry them on the clothesline. And if you plan to iron them, in case they do get wrinkles, set the iron to the hottest setting. Using steam is optional.

Carol Newman is long time advocate for natural and healthy living. Carol is the host of the BioGirl Health Show on Spreaker Web Radio (subscribe), and is dedicated to helping women realize their full potential. She will help you achieve the best possible health and teach you to embrace your inner beauty. Carol invites you to subscribe to her weekly lifestyle podcast and to share your experiences about the BioGirl Health Show on one of the online review sites.

About Carol Newman

Carol Newman is long time advocate for natural and healthy living. Carol is the host of the BioGirl Health Show on Spreaker Web Radio (subscribe), and is dedicated to helping women realize their full potential. She will help you achieve the best possible health and teach you to embrace your inner beauty. Carol invites you to subscribe to her weekly lifestyle podcast and to share your experiences about the BioGirl Health Show on one of the online review sites.